Well, I am no surgeon, :-)but I know some first aid and probably could stitch a bad cut up if I had to. I was just wondering what most people what families kept on hand, whither it is just a fak or something more comprehensive.
Dave
(sigh). If you must feel the urge to sew someone closed, try to at least be in the general neighborhood of "correct" material. Fishing line is probably the best material for Macguivering. Silk probably is OK, but you do have a good chance of getting localized reactions (swelling, redness, etc). Avoid cotton thread. You should probably curve the needle before you use it (most sutures have curved needles, of various cross section shapes).
Most stitches come out after 7-10 days.
Make darn sure you clean the would really, really well, or you can create an abcess that can lead to sepsis, and potentially death.
http://www.operationalmedicine.org/Videos/HowtoSuture.htmPersonally, I'd probably staple or use steri-strips (the newer version of butterfly bandages). It won't be as pretty a wound, but it will be better able to drain, and thus have a decreased chance of infection.
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